Apparatus for producing conjugated filaments



April 1968 YUTAKA KIDO ETAL 3,375,548

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONJUGATED FILAMENTS Filed Dec. 20, 1965 F/Gf/ 7 /4 5 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 1968 YUTAKA Kroo ETAL 3,

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN TS April 1968 YUTAKA KIDO ETAL 3,375,548

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONJUGATED FILAMENTS Filed Dec. 20, 1965 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 April 2, 1953 YUTAKA KIDO ETAL 3,375,548

APPARATUS FOR PRQDUCING CONJUGATED FILAMENTS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 20, 1965 3,375,548 Patented Apr. 2, 1968 3,375,548 APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING CONJUGATED FILAMENTS Yutaka Kido and Hiroshi Maekawa, Toyohashi-shi, Japan, assignors to Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan, a corporation of Japan Filed Dec. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 515,039 Claims priority, application Japan, Sept. 29, 1965, 40/ 59,617 3 Claims. (Cl. 18-8) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE An apparatus for producing a conjugate filament, which comprises a distributor plate having projections for separating different kinds of spinning melts, a spinneret having spinning orifices, and a resistance plate which is provided between the distributor plate and the spinneret, said resistance plate having a plurality of pairs of small holes, each pair of small holes being allocated to one spinning orifice, and each of said holes allowing only one kind of spinning melt to pass.

This invention relates to an apparatus for producing filaments by holding together polymers varying as to their properties in side by side relationship.

A so-called conjugate spinning method contemplated to produce variation in the internal structure of fibers capable of creating crimps simply during the course of spinning and stretching steps or other accompanying steps has been recently developed as a method for conferring crimps to thermoplastic fibers and looks to be taking place of conventional mechanical methods such as false-twisted system or the like. The purpose of conjugate spinning method lies in the reduction of production cost and the production of novel crimped yarns capable of creating new application field.

There have been proposed various kinds of construction for the spinning apparatus of side by side type conjugate filaments. For example the construction disclosed in US. Patent 2,386,173 is one of them. However, all of these conventional constructions have not only problems in their fabrication but also in the distribution of melts in each spinning orifice. Particularly since they have such construction as septums are placed behind spinnerets, right over their spinning orifices and different kinds of spinning melts are delivered to numbers of chambers formed by such septums, it has been difiicult to feed spinning melts from these chambers to various spinning orifices at a constant ratio. In other words, it has been troublesome to the conventional methods that a certain spinning orifice extrudes excessive amount of one kind'of melt, another spinning orifice extrudes excessive amount of another kind of melt, in extreme case, a certain spinning orifice extrudes only one kind of melt or only another kind of melt or a certain group of spinning orifices extrudes only one kind of melt and another group of spinning oirfices extrudes only another kind of melt. Thus contrary to the expectation, it has been hardly possible to obtain assemblies of superior side by side type filaments in which two kinds of melts are extruded in the jointed state.

This tendency has been particularly pronounced when the shapes of the end of septums is not uniform relative to each spinning orifice, when the points of septums are not right above the spinning orifices, when variations are existing as to pressure or as to pressure distribution in each chamber. In other words, the above-mentioned difficulty has been caused by the fact that the pressure difference has been extremely small at the time when the spinning melts flow in the spinning orifices from the chambers and the pressure drop has not been uniform in each spinning orifice.

An object of the present invention is, accordingly to provide an apparatus in which the above-mentioned drawbacks of conventional apparatus have been overcome.

The inventive concept of the present invention and apparatus for attaining the stated objects are illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming a part of this specification.

FIGURE 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of one apparatus of the present invention. FIGURE 2 is a cross sectional view of the apparatus of FIGURE 1 taken at line II-II thereof. FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of another apparatus of the present invention. FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIGURE 3 taken at line IV-IV thereof. FIGURE 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of still another apparatus of the present invention. FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view of the apparatus of FIGURE 5 taken at line VI-VI thereof and FIGURE 7 is also a cross-sectional view of the same apparatus taken at line VIIVII thereof. FIG- URE 8 is a cross-sectional view of filaments produced with use of the apparatus of the present invention.

In FIGURES 1 and 2, one kind of spinning melt (hereinafter it will be referred to as A spinning melt) which is sent by a metering pump under pressure, is fed through a passage 1 to a central cylindrical chamber 18 of a distributor plate 13. Another kind of spinning melt (hereinafter it will be referred to as B spinning melt) which is sent similarly by a metering pump under pressure, is fed through a passage 7 to an annular chamber 17 separated by an annular projection 16 from the above-mentioned mentral cylindrical chamber 18.

The A spinning melt fed to the central cylindrical chamber 18 reaches a number of small holes 21 perforated through a resistance plate 15 placed under the said chamber and arranged along a circle concentric to the circumference of the said plate and the B spinning melt fed to the annular chamber 17 reaches a number of small holes 22 perforated through the resistance plate 15 and arranged along a similar concentric circle so as to form couples with the other small holes 21. Suffering a large extent of pressure drop here, both the spinning melts flow into spinning orifices 14 of a spinneret 20 which are situated under each set of small holes of 21 and 22 and are extruded into conjugate filaments in which the A and B spinning melts are in side by side relationship.

In FIGURES 3 and 4, one kind of spinning melt (hereinafter it will be referred to as A spinning melt) which is sent by a metering pump under pressure, passes a passage 1, enters a central cylindrical part 3 of filter medium box 34 in which a filter medium 2 is accommodated. After being filtered, the A spinning melt passes a metal screen 4 and a :rnulti-hole plate 5 and enters a cylindrical chamber 18 of a distributor plate 13. On the other hand another kind of spinning melt (hereinafter it will be referred to as B spinning melt) which is sent by a metering pump under pressure as in the case of the A spinning melt, passes a passage 7, enters an annular cylindrical part 9 of filter medium box 34 in which a filter medium 8 is accommodated. After being filtered, the B spinning melt passes a metal screen 10 and holes 11 of a multi-hole plate 30 and enters an annular chamber 17.

The central part 3 and the annular cylindrical part 9 of the filter medium box 34 are separated by an annular separating wall 31.

The A and B spinning melts which flowed into a cylindrical chamber 18 and an annular chamber 17 of the distributor plate 13, respectively, passes small holes 21 and 22 of the resistance plate 13, respectively. Suffering a large extent of pressure drop, both the spinning melt join at spinning orifices 14 of a spinneret 20 placed under the said plate and are extruded in the state of two A and B spinning melts being in side by side relationship.

In FIGURES 5, 6 and 7, one kind of spinning melt (hereinafter it will be referred toas A spinning melt) which is sent by a metering pump under pressure, passes a passage 1, enters a central cylindrical part 3 in which a filter medium 2 is accommodated. After being filtered, the A spinning melt passes a metal Screen 4, a multihole plate 5 and enters a central small chamber 6 formed upon a distributor plate 13. On the other hand another spinning melt (hereinafter it will be referred to as B spinning melt) sent by a metering pump under pressure, passes a passage 7, and enters an annular part 9 in which a filter medium is accommodated. After being filtered, the B spinning melt passes a metal screen 10, holes 11 of a rnultihole plate 30 and reaches an annular small chamber 12 formed upon the distributor plate 13. The distributor plate 13 possesses concentric circular projections 16, 16', 16" and 16" the tops of which may contact with the top side of a resistance plate 15. Spinning orifices are arranged on several concentric circles. The resistance plate possesses sets of two kinds of small holes 21 and 22 right upon each spinning orifice for passing the A and B spinning melts, respectively. 'Each one of the concentric projections is set against one of the concentric circles of spinning orifices while being separated by the resistance place inbetween. There are formed concentric circular small chambers 17, 17' and 17" between two adjacent projections. In the inside of the innermost projection 16, there is formed a cylindrical chamber 18 and on the outside of the outermost projection 16", is formed a concentric circular small chamber 19.

Thus one spinning orifice is communicated with the cylindrical chamber 18 and the concentric circular small chambers 17, 17, 17 and 19 of the distributor plate 13 and via the small holes 21 and 22 of the resistance plate.

The A spinning melt passes through a central small chamber 6, and a central hole 23 of the distributor plate. A part of the spinning melt flows directly into a cylindrical chamber 18 right under the central hole 23 and another part from the central hole 23 passes through a number of radial passages 24, 24, flows through the cylindrical small chamber 18 and concentric small chamber second and fourth from the next. On the other hand, the B spinning melt flows from an annular small chamber 12, through vertical holes 25 and 26 into concentric circular small chambers 17 and 17", avoiding the abovementioned radial passages 24 and 24'.

Thus the A spinning melt flowed into the cylindrical chamber 18, and concentric circular small chambers 17 and 19 and the B spinning melt flowed into the concentric circular small chambers 17 and 17" pass through two different holes for the A and B spinning melts, respectively, causing a large extent of pressure drop here and enter the spinning orifice 14 where both the spinning melts are jointed, extruding side by side type conjugate filaments from the spinning orifice 14.

It is a feature and advantage of the apparatus of the present invention that it can be readily fabricated, readily assembled and readily dismantled. Besides these, since it is provided with a resistance plate 15 possessing two small holes 21 and 22 which allow different spinning melts to pass separately, just before the spinning orifice 14 and between the distributor plate 13 and the spinneret 20 it can avert the defect such as deviation of relative position of projection ends 16 vs. spinning orifices 14, fabrication mistake as to shape, and variation of pressure or of pressure distribution in the cylindrical chamber 18 or annular or concentrical circular chamber 17 and enables to produce conjugate filaments consisting of different spinning melts having practically allowable variation of ratio. The two small holes 21v and 22 correspond to one spinning orifice, and all such holes for the respective spinning melts have high resistance to cause the same pressure 4 decrease. Further by inserting between a filter medium box and a resistance plate 15 a distributor plate 13 provided with radial passages 24 and 24' connecting with the central hole 23 and with vertical holes 25 and 26 perforated therethrough avoiding the above-mentioned radial passages, various advantages such as increase of number of spinning orifice 14 in a spinneret, smooth flow of spinning melts to the small holes 21 and 22 of the abovementioned resistance plate 15, and uniformity of pressure distribution or the like have been attained. The same effectiveness can be attained even when the small holes 21 and 22 perforate through the resistance plate 15 have different diameters or when the distance to the spinning orifice 14 from the one small hole 21 is different from the other small holes 22 or when many sets of small holes 21 and 22 have different diameters or distance as abovementioned.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for the production of conjugate filaments which consists of a central cylindrical chamber 18 for feeding one spinning melt, annular chambers 17 for feeding another spinning melt which are divided by annular projection 16, a resistance plate 15 through which a number of sets of two small holes 21 and 22 are perforated along annular circle in such a way that the abovementioned small holes 21 are isolated from other small holes 22 by the ahove-mentioned annular projection, and the same number of and the same arrangement of spinning orifices 14 as those sets of small holes 21 and 22 arranged in such a way that different kinds of spinning melts flow into one spinning orifice 14 from the said two small holes 21 and 22, respectively.

2. An apparatus for the production of conjugate filaments which consists of a filter medium box 34 forming a central cylindrical part 3 for feeding one spinning melt and an annular part 9 for feeding another spinning melt which is separated by a separating wall 31 from the said central cylindrical part, and is surrounding the same, a

multi-hole plate 30 upon which metal screens 4 and 10 are placed, a distributor plate 13 having an annular chamber 17 isolated from a central cylindrical chamber 18 by projection 16, a resistance plate 15 through which a number of sets of two small holes 21 and 22 are perforated along annular circle in such a way that the abovementioned small holes 21 are isolated from other small holes 22 by the above-mentioned annular projection and the same number of and the same arrangement of spinning orifices 14 as those of sets'of small holes 21 and 22 arranged in such a way that different kinds of spinning melts flows into one spinning orifice 14 from the said two small holes 21 and 22, respectively.

3. An apparatus for the production of conjugate .filaments which consists of a filter medium box 34 forming a central cylindrical part3 for feeding one spinning melt and an annular part 9 for feeding another spinning melt which is separated by a separating wall 31 from the said central cylindrical part and is surrounding thesame, a

multi-hole plate 30 on which a circular metal screen 4 for one spinnnig melt and an annular metal screen 10 for another spinning melt, a distributor plate 13 having numbers of radial passages 24 and 24communicating with a centralhole 23 and vertical holes 25 and 26 surrounding the said central holes and perforated in such a way as avoiding the said radial passages 24 and 24' on its upper part and having concentric circular projections 16,16, 16'', 16" arranged so as to construct one after another a central small chamber 18 communicating with the said central hole 23 and concentric circular small chamber 17 and 17" communicating with the said radial passages 24 and 24', a resistance plate 15 through which plural sets of two small holes 21 and 22 are perforated along the same arrangement of spinning orifices 14 as those of 3,117,906 1/ 1964 Tanner. sets of small holes 21 and 22 arranged in such a way that 3,161,914 12/1964 Bloomfield et al. 18-8 different kinds of spinnnig melts flow into one spinning 3,176,342 4/ 1965 Davis 18-8 orifice 14 from the said two small holes 21 and 22, re- 3,182,106 5/1965 Fujita et al. 18-8 X spectively. 5 3,197,813 8/1965 Le Grand 18-8 References Cited 3,224,041 12/ 1965 Reynolds 18-8 2,440,761 5/1948 Sisson et a1 1s s FOREIGN PATENTS 2,589,870 3/1952 Sale et al. 18-8 624,280 1963 Belgium. 2,931,091 4/1960 Breen 18-8X 10 2,988,420 6/1961 Byan et al. WILLIAM J. STEPHENSON, Primary Examiner. 

